Extra 260 Testimonials

Best regards from Germany
Patric Eckerle

After flying the 260, I must admit that this plane is incredible. I really like it with a 13×6.5e. Most of the flight was at less than 1/2 throttle and it still was phenonemal vertically. I was doing maneuvers lower and better after just a few flights. I love the KE this plane does. I have always had some trouble keeping a steady KE on my other planes even with mixing, but this plane KE so well. I was doing KE circles and snaps in just the 2nd flight. Hovering this plane is a breeze. I am amazed at how well this plane flies and how stable it is. This is definitely a keeper!

Iinverted harriers locked right in. Hovers are the proverbial “piece of cake”. Upright and inverted flat spins flatten out nicely and it will do sweet blenders.

Ready to fly weight with battery is 32.7 ounces. Koudo’s to the folks at PA.

Took her up for the maiden flight plus one more. All trims were neutral with surfaces centered. CG is @ 98 mm with the front of the battery ~34 mm behind the front edge of the c/f battery tray. I’m using the IPAs system, and the pull/pull rudder setup.

Was flying from a school lot with an asphalt parking area and a football-field-sized grass area adjacent to the parking lot.

70 F
940 ft AMSL

Slowly rolled into the throttle and she was airborne within 10 feet @ ~1/2-throttle. Climbed out @ ~1/2-throttle – seemingly in slow-motion. One click of up-elevator & one click of right aileron and she was lazily flying level – hands-off.

I flew the first pack for 7 minutes – mostly what one would call sport-flying – lazy circuits @ 1/3-throttle, some loops, and a few touch-n-goes. Charger says I only used 714 mA. I flew the second pack for about 5 minutes. I flew more aggressively this time – faster circuits, more aerobatics, and a few hover sessions. Charger says I only used 712 mA that time.

Observations:

She hovers effortlessly at just under 1/2-throttle. She tracks well through big, slow loops, and looks a lot like a full-scale ship when doing them. I didn’t attempt any major 3D, but did do an elevator just for grins. She was just a bit nose-down, but was floating down quite nicely. She is a serious floater on final. I found myself waiting & waiting for her to quit flying and finally land!

I was not prepared for how slow & graceful, yet authoritative this aircraft is. Very impressive – especially at this scale! Compared to my 40 & 60-size aerobats, this thing feels like it’s flying in oil!

I still can’t get used to the fact that although I know I’m flying a 48″ wingspan park-flier, my eyes & fingers think I’m flying a 40%-scale ship! After ony 10 minutes of flight, I can tell that this is one of the best-handling ships I have ever owned – in any scale! My 40 & 60-size glow-powered aerobats are not even close to this!

To the PA team – thank you for your excellent work. Very well done!!

Joel

I maidened in on Friday morning before work. I had just enough time to fly one battery pack and experiment with battery locations. It was immediately apparent that this plane is a floater. Sure, the wind was strong, but this plane just wanted to stay up there! The maiden went well in the sense that I got it up and down a few times without drama, so I packed it into the car and went to work.

I managed to get away from work early but the wind was still blowing; I decided to fly anyway. I flew another 7 packs and I absolutely love the plane! The wind was stronger than I would’ve liked but it handles the wind better than I thought it would. Sure, it was getting blown around a bit, but I was flying it in a 3D funfly way anyway so that was no drama. The wind actually helped as I could basically do slow parachute landing approaches and then give it some throttle to level off and land. I can see why this plane has a reputation for doing really slow and persistent rolling harriers. It’s very floaty and I find it _much_ easier for me to do knife edge and rolling harriers with the Extra 260 than with my 3DHS Velox. I guess the PA plane’s extra floatiness is what’s helping out there. I’m much more confident flying this plane low and doing hovers, high alpha knife edges and rolling harriers. This plane was so floaty in the wind that I could do rolling harriers on the spot without the need to pulse the throttle to prevent it sinking. My balsa rollers are not as smooth as my foamy rollers so I need to work on that. From what I saw on Friday I feel that I’m going to have a lot of fun with this plane (and any replacements if I break it).

Thanks PA for making such a wonderful plane! I’m really looking forward to flying it again tomorrow as the forecast suggests that it’ll be the only low wind day we’ve had in around 2 weeks

I have had mine in the air for about 6 weeks now. I love it.

I was concerned about wind as well. Today was such a beautiful sunny day that I had to fly. It seemed pretty windy so I went down a block or 2 in my development where I have never flown before because it seemed like a larger area to fly. Plus the wind was coming from the north and the street would give me a north / south “runway” instead of the east /west “runway” that I normally have at the end of my driveway. As soon as I got it air born I wondered if I had made a mistake as the model was getting kicked around quite a bit.

I jammed on the throttle to climb higher than I normally do. The larger space gave me a much better view over the tops of the trees in my development since they were a bit further away from me. The air was much smoother up there and I was able to fly quite nicely. I didn’t do a whole lot of 3D acrobatics but it was a whole heck of a lot of fun. Hovers moved down the street pretty quickly with the wind :0 but it was still surprising that it could hover. Elevator drops and harriers were a bit of a challenge but non 3D acrobatics were beatiful. The PA 260 cut through the wind like butter. I still had plenty of throttle left and had a heck of a lot of fun.

I was very worried about landing. So, I did 3 practice passes to test it out (I never flew in this field before). It seemed like it had the potential to be very jumpy coming in. The wind was popping the plane quite a bit. However, for my real attempt at landing I was amazed at how well the 260 handled it. I had to correct several times throttle, rudder, elevator etc. with the wind changes but the final touch down was gentle. Essentially, I harrier landed at the last second but it would not have been possible to land safely if the 260 wasn’t so responsive and adaptable.

Now I am not as concerned about the wind and think it just gives me another type of fun. I will just adjust by using a little larger field (aka neighborhood) and trust that 260 has the power and control that it needs to adapt.

VERY Impressive PA!

-Mike

I was flying the PA Extra 260 a few nights ago and I had a case of dumb thumbs. I pulled back on the elevator while inverted instead of pushing forward, which lead to the plane going in hard on the nose from about 3m in height. The damage from this hard hit was a cracked but still usable engine cowl and a smashed motor box. I was pleased that the motor box broke without any damage to the rest of the wooden structure. I suspect that the motor box is intentionally made less robust than the bulkhead to limit damage to an easily replaceable motor box. Thanks to (I assume) Radio Rookie’s “How to replace a motor box” guide on the PA website I’ll have this plane airborne again within a few days. Then it’s back to “low and slow” but hopefully my thumbs have learnt from their last mistake

Yuri

It was exactly what I needed.

The plane is easy to fly, highly responsive, agile and most importantly very powerful. I needed those characteristics to help get myself out of trouble. Most trainers and airplanes targeted at novices have a very narrow flight envelope and are very under powered. If you make a mistake, which novices tend to do, there is no margin of error and it will most likely end in a crash. Not with my Extra 260. It has a huge flight envelope and gives me the ability to work through the mistake, learn from it and keep flying.

If I misjudged the distance to a treeline or other obstacle, I just turn on a dime to fly in the other direction or pull straight up and go vertical to avoid the obstacle.

If I pull up and try a loop from straight and level flight and stall because I didn’t have enough speed or high enough throttle, I just add more throttle. This plane has unlimited vertical performance.

If I get into an uncontrolled spin while speeding toward the ground, I let the controls go to neutral, the plane recovers instantly and then I can pull up to climb to a safe altitude.

If a gust of wind pushes me off course on my final approach, the control throws are so huge and the plane is so hard to stall that I can quickly adjust and get back on my glide path.

Bottom line: This plane makes me look good. It gives me control and survivability that allows me to learn quickly, build my confidence and eliminate my fear.

Now, I can do harriers, hover, walls, elevator drops, flat spins, knife edge slides, and knife edge circles. Many of these maneuvers I can do upright and inverted. Last weekend, I did my first knife edge spin. If it were not for Precision Aerobatics, I would not even be in this hobby and I would not have developed my skills so quickly.

-Mike Dunn

Hey, we all have our fantasies!…

Mark

From Russia with love to fly 

I have the 48″ Extra 260 + IPAs. This is my first PA product. I have only about 20-25 flights on her so far.

After some issues with the guys in the big brown truck, I finally had a set of undamaged wings. Steve was very helpful, and didn’t hesitate to send me a new pair of wings; however, he didn’t have a set of red wings in stock, so it took a few weeks for them to arrive. Since I bought the plane, I have called Steve for advice on numerous occasions. He has always been willing to help, and always takes the time to answer my questions. Definitely a good experience – all things considered.

When I started the assembly process, the origin of the ‘precision’ part of the name became very evident to me. Everything simply fit! With any ARF, I expect to do a bit of sanding and/or trimming here & there to get everything lined up correctly. Not so with the PA Extra 260! Even the horizontal stab lined up perfectly without any shims or adjustment. Another thing I noticed was the warp-free structures and the wrinkle-free covering. The IPAs package fit without a hitch, and seems to be well-engineered for a good balance between performance and endurance.

My first flight revealed the rest of the reason for the ‘precision’ part of the name. When the wind is down, she flies like a ship of much larger scale. It’s as if she is flying in oil! It is easy to fly her slow, yet with absolute authority over the air. She looks nearly full-scale when flown in this manner. Not something I would have expected from such a small-scale ship. She reminds me more of a 40% ship, than a park-scale ship.

Subsequent flights revealed her “dark side” – her multiple personalities. Although she can easily fly slow, lazy circuits like a large-winged trainer, a bit more throttle and more aggressive stick action reveals her spicy, more lively side. Her flight controls and throttle are surgically precise. She will eagerly and happily respond to her pilot’s wishes. She feels light on the sticks, and can gracefully complete most any maneuver her pilot can think of – all without ever exploring the top 50% of her throttle.

If one succumbs to the temptation of her nearly unlimited power – as will eventually be the fate of nearly all who fly her; yet another facet of her personality comes to the surface – her wild & naughty side. At WOT, she laughs in the faces of Sir Isaac Newton and Daniel Bernoulli. She veritably defies gravity, and seemingly – nearly all the laws of flight. She seems to obey only the laws of André-Marie Ampère, Alessandro Volta, Georg Simon Ohm, Nicola Tesla. And the commands of her pilot. Her acceleration @ WOT is nothing short of breathtaking! She responds instantly and with absolute authority to any and all inputs her pilot commands, yet always retains her fluidity of motion. She knows no boundaries except those of earth, space – and those of her pilot.

Her flight envelope is nothing short of outstanding! She can slow to sub-trainer speeds and remain perfectly controllable, yet she is every bit as happy (maybe even happier?) @ WOT – ripping up the sky, seemingly defying physics – while performing wild and violent high-G, full-stick maneuvers. She is just as happy carving up the sky with precision, pattern maneuvers. Or anywhere in between.

Landings are nearly automatic. Most of the time, I can land her so softly, I swear she could land on tissue paper. When set up with a more forward CG, some more expo and/or less throw, she is as docile as a trainer – yet is still precise – very much unlike most trainers!

PA’s Extra 260 is one of those rare planes that can be easily set up to serve as an aileron trainer; aerobatic trainer; pattern ship; and all-out 3D-machine. A rare find, indeed!

I now know the reason for the rest of the name.

If the rest of PA’s line possesses similar qualities – it is no wonder that nearly everyone who flies a PA plane – ends up buying at least one! Yes – the price is a bit higher than some, but the quality & flight characteristics more than make up for that. I will be a return customer! Possibly an AMR or MX?

What do I like about my PA plane?

1) Excellence in engineering. Use of geometry to create strength where needed, in the directions needed, with the minimum amount of mass.

2) Excellent construction. Many experienced modelers would have a difficult time building an airframe as straight as this.

3) Adaptability. Can be configured for anything from aileron training or sport-flying, to pattern aerobatics or all-out 3D wildness.

4) Well-balanced IPAs. I can fly conservatively and get 15 minute flights; or I can spend 6-7 minutes defying gravity with a 2.5:1 thrust-to-weight ratio! Most of the time, I’m using ~1200 mAh or so at the 10-minute mark. After a 10-minute flight, the pack is just barely warm. There is so much available power, it is nearly ridiculous; yet the weight of the power package is so low. Like putting a .91 4-stroke where a .46 two-stroke should be – but without the the excess nose weight and overstress.

5) Surgically-precise controls and throttle. Never before have I owned a ship with precision like this! She responds to the most subtle inputs, yet remains so fluid in motion. Her throttle is like a digital caliper – precise, and perfectly repeatable.

6) She gives her pilot a sense of confidence that is difficult to find elsewhere. Not unlike the feeling of confidence one gets behind the wheel of a well-engineered automobile, such as a BMW or Lotus, for example.

7) All of the above inspires her pilot to try new things…to push her flight envelope….to push the pilot’s envelope – to become a better pilot.

8) Knowledgeable staff, willing to help. Very good support – both online, and over the phone.

I just wanted to let you know that I have been flying the PA Extra 260 for the past year or so, and it is without any question the most exciting, high-performance and enjoyable plane that I have encountered.  I have bought and flown at least 6 other similarly sized planes made by other manufacturers, and this is hands down the best performer of them all.  Hovering, knife-edge, torque rolls, and all the rest are just out of this world.

Thank you so much for creating such a remarkable aircraft!!!!

Best regards,
Dan Lowenstein

sehr lang nichts mehr voneinander gehört. Das liegt daran, dass meine Extra 260, welche ich vor sehr langer Zeit auf Ratschlag von Gerhard Hannsmann bei Ihnen gekauft habe, einfach nur perfekt fliegt.

Noch nie habe ich solch einen wunderbaren Flieger besessen.

Das Modell hat zwar schon weit über 400 Flüge hinter sich, es fliegt sich jedoch wie am ersten Tag! DAS..nenne ich einmal Qualität.

The Extra 260 makes an excellent sport flier when set up for conservative control surface throws (recommended sport throws are given in the manual). The plane is built very light, has excellent power to weight ratio, and when powered by PA’s Thrust 30 w/ VOX 13×5 prop, it can be sport flown around at 1/2 to 2/3 throttle making for long flight times that will easily meet if not exceed 10 minutes duration.

The optional wing tip CF Vortex Generators are well worth adding to the model, as they increase super slow speed stability — very handy if you’re into harrier flight, and making those slow harrier style spot landings.

Case in point: 48″ 3DHS Edge 540 with a quality 3S 2200 pack gives me 5 minutes of 3D flight time.

48″ PA Extra 260, the same pack gives me 7 minutes 3D flight time.

58″ PA Extra-MX, a pair of 3S 2200 packs (wired for 6S) gives me 7 minutes of white knuckle hardcore 3D flight time.

I prefer my PA planes not only for the extra flight time per given 2200 mAh pack, but PA planes are just tougher, stronger and can hold up to the kind of 3D abuse I put them through.

HTH, Byron

sehr lang nichts mehr voneinander gehört. Das liegt daran, dass meine Extra 260, welche ich vor sehr langer Zeit auf Ratschlag von Gerhard Hannsmann bei Ihnen gekauft habe, einfach nur perfekt fliegt.

Noch nie habe ich solch einen wunderbaren Flieger besessen.

 Das Modell hat zwar schon weit über 400 Flüge hinter sich, es fliegt sich jedoch wie am ersten Tag!DAS..nenne ich einmal Qualität.

The optional wing tip CF Vortex Generators are well worth adding to the model, as they increase super slow speed stability — very handy if you’re into harrier flight, and making those slow harrier style spot landings.

The Extra 260 is one of my favorites, and is my everyday practice plane. Mine is fitted with PA’s Thrust-30 motor, and I’m very pleased with the excellent power to weight ratio. It’s very economical too. I.e. I’m getting 7 ~ 8 minutes of slow-N-low 3D flight time (3S 2200mAH packs). Typically set my TX’s timer for 7 minutes, and take my time on landing etc. and the LiPo generally comes down measuring just over 3.7 volts per cell.

HTH, Byron

The 260 was THE plane that took my 3d to the next level. Small enough to take and fly anywhere but still with enough power to not be lame. And I literallly gave each of my first 2,nine lives. Spares are readily available and fixes are pretty easy. This plane just keeps coming back for more. I get a bit crappy when I see posts recommending 3d noobs fly a foamie to get used to it, Well I’ll say I tried that but the 260 got me further quicker than any floppy foamie could ever do, I know because I had a couple!!!

Went out today, probably 6 to 10 MPH winds, not all that steady either, so was not a great day to maiden but I had to give it a shot.

I should state, the only planes LIKE this I have flow are the Parkzone Extra 300 foamie, and my little Ultra Micro Beast.

Bottom line, maiden and second flight (ran out of daylight) went AMAZING! It’s just a fantastic flying plane. Handles the wind very well, contrary to all the stuff I have read, and while I am no 3D flyer (YET!) I was doing some ok Harriers and not bad (but short) hovers. Got a decent flat spin or two going and just over all had a BLAST getting a feel for this planes flight envelope.

For me, I had absolutely NO problem (other than nerves) with this P.A. plane. It was in fact much more crisp and predictable in maneuvers. Not sure what you call it but did the wall into a kinda hover then pulled away on a Vert rolling upline to that thing where, as you decrease throttle at the top to slow down you use full Down elevator to flip the plane over while spinning sideways … makes for a super cool looking maneuver at the top of the upline. On the PZ Extra it’s always kinda hard for me to control and recover gracefully where as on this PA plane it just feels much more like I am in control. If that makes any sense.

Landings were nothing short of pure joy.

WOWOWOW, excellent plane.

Marlin

Just a quick update

I flew the Extra 260 again yesterday morning, it kinda felt like a proper maiden as it was a full flight and there were no issues so it behaved very well.

I must say that i am so impressed with this airframe it just flies like its on rails!

I have found that i like a really neutral CG setting so it needs the smallest push to keep her level when inverted.

She rolls perfectly on axis and the loops are nice and tight even though I am still on low rates!

I dropped the expo a little and she was nice and smooth but not mushy around center.

I finaly know what a “proper” plane is supposed to fly like.

The PZ Extra only got one flight today i think it will become a distant second place to the PA Extra

I just love this hobby!

Now i need to set my self some specific task when i get to the field such as working on specific skills.

I think i will work on inverted flying first.

Cheers all

Ben